Assembly for use with a return to neutral mechanism
A control assembly for use with hydraulic apparatus having a housing, a trunnion extending from the housing, a return arm and a control arm mounted on the trunnion. The control assembly is attached to the trunnion arm and includes a pair of scissor return arms biased to place the hydraulic apparatus in a neutral condition, a pair of bushings and a spacer pressed into the bushings to form the assembly.
Latest Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership Patents:
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/252,836, filed on Oct. 18, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to an axle driving apparatus and, more particularly, to an assembly used in connection with a return to neutral mechanism adapted to be mounted to the housing of a hydraulic drive apparatus such as an integrated hydrostatic transaxle (“IHT”) or hydrostatic transmission (“HST”). The mechanism disclosed herein could also be used with hydraulic pumps or other types of hydrostatic transaxles.
The general design of IHTs and HSTs are known in the art and generally include a rotating hydraulic pump and a rotating hydraulic motor, carrying a plurality of reciprocating pistons which are in fluid communication through hydraulic porting. Rotation of the hydraulic pump against a moveable swash plate creates an axial motion of the pump pistons that forces an operating oil through the hydraulic porting to the hydraulic motor to move the motor pistons and cause rotation of the hydraulic motor to drive an output shaft or axle.
The swash plate position is adjustable to vary the speed and direction of rotation of the hydraulic motor and, accordingly, the speed and direction of the output rotation. For use in changing the position of the moveable swash plate, it is known to include a trunnion arm coupled to the swash plate. A speed change lever or a speed change pedal is, in turn, coupled to the trunnion arm through a wire or other driving link. In this manner, movement of the speed change lever/pedal results in movement of the trunnion arm to change the position of the swash plate to thereby control the speed and direction of the vehicle. An example of such a mechanism for adjusting the speed of a vehicle may be seen in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,996 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
For placing the swash plate in a position that neither affects the speed nor the direction of rotation of the hydraulic motor, i.e., the neutral position, a return to neutral mechanism is normally implemented as an integral part of the vehicle linkage. One known return to neutral mechanism is shown in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,782,797, the terms of which are incorporated herein by reference. Such a speed adjusting mechanism includes a return arm adapted to be mounted to casing in a fixed position indicative of a neutral position of the trunnion arm and a control arm that is mounted to and moves the trunnion arm. A pair of scissor return arms move the control arm in cooperation with the return arm for the purpose of moving the trunnion arm to the neutral position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention disclosed herein comprises an assembly for use in connection with a return to neutral control mechanism for a transaxle or the like, whereby certain components of the mechanism may be preassembled, thereby increasing the ease of assembly of the entire unit and decreasing assembly costs.
A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, properties and relationships of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth an illustrative embodiment and which are indicative of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.
Turning now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, the present invention is depicted as used in connection with transaxle 10, which may be substantially identical to that described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,247, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The details of transaxle 10 are not critical to this invention and will not be described in detail herein; this invention could also be used on other transaxle or transmission designs and this disclosure should not be read as limited to use with a zero-turn transaxle such as transaxle 10. The return to neutral design depicted herein is similar in many respects to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,782,797; it will be understood that the assembly of the present invention may be used in connection with other designs and that this invention is not so limited. For further details on the operation of transaxle 10 or the return to neutral feature, the reader is referred to the patents referenced above.
The only element of the internal functioning of transaxle 10 that is key to this invention and thus depicted in the figures is trunnion 14, which extends from casing 11 and, it will be understood, is connected to a moveable swash plate (not shown) or similar structure. As will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the swash plate may be moved to a variety of positions to vary the stroke of the pump pistons and the direction of rotation of the hydraulic motor. As the stroke of the pump pistons is varied, the volume of the hydraulic fluid pumped into the hydraulic porting of the center section will vary. Since the speed of rotation of the hydraulic motor is dependent upon the amount of hydraulic fluid pumped thereinto by the hydraulic pump and the direction of rotation of the hydraulic motor is dependent upon the direction of rotation of the hydraulic pump, the positioning of the swash plate is seen to control the speed and direction of rotation of the hydraulic motor and, accordingly, the speed and direction of rotation of an output or axle shaft.
To rotate trunnion arm 14 and, accordingly, move the swash plate assembly, a speed adjusting mechanism 316 is coupled to trunnion arm 14. Speed adjusting mechanism 316 may be connected, via a driving link, to a lever or pedal (not shown) provided on a vehicle (not shown) whereby movement of the lever or pedal is translated to the speed adjusting mechanism 316 to cause the rotation of trunnion arm 14 and movement of the swash plate assembly. Seal 30 is used to prevent leakage of hydraulic fluid from the opening in casing 11 from which trunnion arm 14 extends.
As shown in
Control arm 22 is non-rotatably mounted to the end of trunnion arm 14, preferably by providing control arm 22 and trunnion arm 14 with complimentary mating shapes, so that rotation of control arm 22 will also result in rotation of trunnion arm 14. Control arm 22 includes openings 22c to which a driving link may be attached. A biasing means such as spring 36 is linked to inner and outer scissor return arms 324 and 326, and in particular, to arms 324b and 326b, respectively.
When trunnion arm 14 is placed in the position that corresponds to the neutral position of the swash plate, return arm 20 is attached to casing 11. For this purpose, an attachment device 32, such as a bolt/washer combination or the like, is inserted through an opening 20b and mated with casing 11 to trap return arm 20 between attachment device 32 and casing 11 and frictionally prevent return arm 20 from moving. At this time, under the influence of biasing means 36, projection 22a of control arm 22 and projection 20a of return arm 20 will be in alignment. This alignment of the projections 22a and 20a establishes the neutral position. In the neutral position, both inner scissor return arm 324 and outer scissor return arm 326 are in contact with projection 22a. Attachment device 32 also cooperates with opening 22b in control arm 22 to limit the range of motion of control arm 22.
When speed adjusting mechanism 316 is rotated in a first direction, projection 22a of control arm 22 will contact arm 324a of inner scissor return arm 324, resulting in the movement of inner scissor return arm 324. Meanwhile, arm 326a of outer scissor return arm 326 is prevented from moving as it remains in contact with projection 20a of return arm 20. When speed adjusting mechanism 316 is rotated in the opposite direction, projection 22a of control arm 22 will contact the arm 326a of outer scissor return arm 326, resulting in the movement of outer scissor return arm 326. Meanwhile, arm 324a of inner scissor return arm 324 is prevented from moving as it remains in contact with the projection 20a of return arm 20. In either case, once the force from the driving link is no longer applied to control arm 22, spring 36 will cause the scissor return arm that has been rotated to move towards the other scissor return arm that has been held in place, thus returning trunnion arm 14 to the neutral position.
Because such return to neutral mechanisms comprise a plurality of components, it is advantageous to preassemble a portion of the return to neutral mechanism in order to simplify assembly and reduce costs. Assembly 300 is shown in
Assembly 300 is formed by capturing arm 324, washer 342, and arm 326 between the two bushings 350, as shown particularly in
In some circumstances it may be desirable to move the junction between the bushings away from washer 342.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangement disclosed is meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.
Claims
1. A control mechanism for use with a hydraulic apparatus having a housing and a trunnion extending from the housing, the control mechanism comprising:
- a return arm rotatably mounted on the trunnion and attached to the housing, the return arm comprising a stop;
- a control arm attached to the trunnion; and
- a neutral arm assembly for mounting on the trunnion so that a portion of the neutral arm assembly is positioned to contact the stop to place the hydraulic apparatus in a neutral condition, the neutral arm assembly comprising a first arm and a second arm capable of rotating with respect to one another along a common axis of rotation, and a retention member disposed in a first opening formed in the first arm and a second opening formed in the second arm to rotatably retain the pair of arms proximate to one another in an operative relationship prior to mounting the neutral arm assembly on the trunnion.
2. A control mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the retention member further comprises:
- a first bushing located on one side of the neutral arm assembly wherein a portion of the first bushing extends into the first opening; and
- a second bushing located on the other side of the neutral arm assembly wherein a portion of the second bushing extends into the second opening.
3. The control mechanism of claim 1, wherein each arm comprises a first portion extending outwardly from the first or second opening and a second portion extending outwardly from the first or second opening and angularly separated from the first portion.
4. A control mechanism for mounting externally to a hydraulic drive apparatus, the control mechanism comprising:
- a first arm comprising a first opening;
- a second arm comprising a second opening; and
- a retention member engaged to both the first and second arms to retain the first and second arms in an assembly, whereby the first and second arms are maintained in an operative relationship and can rotate with respect to one another in the assembly prior to mounting the assembly on the hydraulic drive apparatus.
5. A control mechanism as set forth in claim 4, wherein the retention member further comprises a first bushing having a portion thereof extending into the first opening and a second bushing having a portion thereof extending into the second opening.
6. A control mechanism for a hydraulic drive apparatus, the control mechanism comprising:
- a first arm comprising a first opening;
- a second arm comprising a second opening;
- a first bushing engaged to the first arm through the first opening; and
- a second bushing engaged to the second arm through the second opening and interlocking with the first bushing to retain the first and second arms and the first and second bushings into an assembly, wherein the first and second arms are rotatable with respect to one another.
7. The control mechanism of claim 6, wherein the first bushing and the second bushing are generally identical.
8. The control mechanism of claim 6, wherein each arm comprises a first portion extending outwardly from the first or second opening and a second portion extending outwardly from the first or second opening and angularly separated from the first portion.
9. The control mechanism of claim 6, further comprising a spacer engaged to an interior portion of at least one of the first bushing and the second bushing.
10. The control mechanism of claim 9, wherein the first arm comprises a first portion extending outwardly from the first opening and a second portion extending outwardly from the first opening and angularly separated from the first portion.
11. The control mechanism of claim 10, wherein the second arm comprises a first portion extending outwardly from the second opening and a second portion extending outwardly from the second opening and angularly separated from the first portion.
12. The control mechanism of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first portion and the second portion on the first arm and at least one of the first portion and the second portion on the second arm comprises an attachment location for a spring.
3354981 | November 1967 | Swanson et al. |
3541878 | November 1970 | Haffner |
3765258 | October 1973 | Jespersen |
3792744 | February 1974 | Gray |
3837235 | September 1974 | Peterson |
4018104 | April 19, 1977 | Bland et al. |
4111062 | September 5, 1978 | Calligan |
4167855 | September 18, 1979 | Knapp |
4352302 | October 5, 1982 | McAlife et al. |
4375771 | March 8, 1983 | Kobelt |
4438660 | March 27, 1984 | Kittle |
4600075 | July 15, 1986 | Heidner et al. |
4606428 | August 19, 1986 | Giere |
4845949 | July 11, 1989 | Shivvers et al. |
4856368 | August 15, 1989 | Fujisaki et al. |
4870820 | October 3, 1989 | Nemoto |
4899541 | February 13, 1990 | Okada et al. |
4905472 | March 6, 1990 | Okada |
4914907 | April 10, 1990 | Okada |
4934252 | June 19, 1990 | Giere |
4955249 | September 11, 1990 | Wetor |
4986073 | January 22, 1991 | Okada |
5042252 | August 27, 1991 | Havens et al. |
5044478 | September 3, 1991 | Kaesgen et al. |
5074195 | December 24, 1991 | Ohashi et al. |
5078222 | January 7, 1992 | Hauser et al. |
5094077 | March 10, 1992 | Okada |
5094326 | March 10, 1992 | Schemelin et al. |
5136845 | August 11, 1992 | Woodley |
5146748 | September 15, 1992 | Okada |
5163293 | November 17, 1992 | Azuma et al. |
5182966 | February 2, 1993 | von Kaler et al. |
5201692 | April 13, 1993 | Johnson et al. |
5289738 | March 1, 1994 | Szulczewski |
5311740 | May 17, 1994 | Shiba et al. |
5314387 | May 24, 1994 | Hauser et al. |
5333451 | August 2, 1994 | Sakikawa et al. |
5339631 | August 23, 1994 | Ohashi |
5373697 | December 20, 1994 | Jolliff et al. |
5383376 | January 24, 1995 | Thorman et al. |
5427216 | June 27, 1995 | Hoch |
5440951 | August 15, 1995 | Okada et al. |
5546752 | August 20, 1996 | Horton et al. |
5555727 | September 17, 1996 | Hauser et al. |
5588294 | December 31, 1996 | Sakakura et al. |
5622051 | April 22, 1997 | Iida et al. |
5771758 | June 30, 1998 | Hauser |
5794443 | August 18, 1998 | Shimizu |
5819537 | October 13, 1998 | Okada et al. |
5836159 | November 17, 1998 | Shimizu et al. |
5842532 | December 1, 1998 | Fox et al. |
5860884 | January 19, 1999 | Jolliff |
5873287 | February 23, 1999 | Kawada |
5887484 | March 30, 1999 | Abend et al. |
5918691 | July 6, 1999 | Ishii |
6010423 | January 4, 2000 | Jolliff et al. |
6122996 | September 26, 2000 | Hauser et al. |
6125630 | October 3, 2000 | Abend et al. |
6152247 | November 28, 2000 | Sporrer et al. |
6272854 | August 14, 2001 | Ishii et al. |
6314730 | November 13, 2001 | Shimizu |
6487857 | December 3, 2002 | Poplawski et al. |
6782797 | August 31, 2004 | Brandenburg et al. |
6935106 | August 30, 2005 | Korthals |
7197873 | April 3, 2007 | Windhorst et al. |
- Technical Information Manual for Series 40 Pumps, SPV40E, Rev. Apr. 1997.
- Eaton, Hydrostatic Transaxles, Catalog 11-04-999, Aug. 1991.
Type: Grant
Filed: Mar 1, 2007
Date of Patent: Jan 1, 2008
Assignee: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership (Sullivan, IL)
Inventors: Scott E. Windhorst (Decatur, IL), Bruce E. Reid (Sullivan, IL)
Primary Examiner: Thomas E. Lazo
Attorney: Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg
Application Number: 11/680,967
International Classification: F16H 61/42 (20060101); F01B 13/00 (20060101);